Episode #90
Back to School: Managing Humans with Chris Mukibi Ep 90
Hey team! Meet my friend Chris Mukibi, a Southern California high school chemistry and AVID teacher, and generally awesome human. We dive into the neuroscience of classroom behavior and the art that is managing humans. We discuss regulation and dysregulation, why shared language helps prevent behavior issues, and how reframing behavior as a message is more useful than labeling kids as “jerks” (or worse). Chris helps us understand the link between increased anxiety and dysregulation and the broader societal stressors like internet-driven information overload, rapid technological change, and unpredictability. You'll learn practical executive-function supports—predictable routines, visuals, calendars, sticky notes, and checklists—to externalize working memory and reduce cognitive load at school and at home. You'll love his approachable wisdom and humor! All my love, Sarah About Chris: Chris Mukiibi is a high school chemistry and AVID teacher in Southern California and the founder of BrightStar Education. He's the author of The Learning Compass and the creator of Behavior By Design, a coaching framework that has trained hundreds of educators to manage classroom behavior through the nervous system rather than through control. His core idea is simple: behavior is downstream, emotional state is upstream, and a student stuck in stress or survival can't access focus, planning, or self-regulation, no matter how good the strategy is. He still teaches every day, which means everything he shares was tested in a real classroom that week. Instagram instagram.com/mrmukiibi Email: chris@chrismukiibi.com The show: 01:59 Sleep and Self Regulation 02:49 Language Behind Behavior 04:12 Kids These Days Debate 05:51 Internet and Rapid Change 07:40 Uncertainty and Stress State 10:35 Tame Jungle vs Prepare Kids 13:32 Zone of Proximal Growth 15:11 Carlos and Real Wins 18:09 Growth Mindset and EF Tools 19:12 Working Memory Nerd Out 20:36 Offload Your Memory 21:58 Sticky Notes and Lists 23:15 To Do Lists for Anxiety 24:28 Predictability for Presence 25:24 Classroom Routines Framework 27:28 Expectations Reduce Anxiety 29:43 Visual Scaffolds for Change 33:06 Capacity Over Knowing Better 34:35 Regulate First Then Teach 36:11 Calming Cues for Adults 38:00 Where to Find Chris 38:51 Wrap Up and Thanks Connect with Sarah! My book is out in the wild, and it's changing lives! Order Growing Executive Function at Solution Tree or on Amazon . I'm also training educators and organizations across this beautiful globe, and we're finding improving executive function is game-changing! If that sounds like what your school or organization needs, reach out ! Sarah at sarahkesty.com.
